The Watcher

by Bill Stenlake

  ‘You’re pretty calm, seeing that you are close to getting shot.’

  ‘You’re a man who’s having a bad day. I haven’t helped your day, but in reality I could have been having a bad day too. And that is why I stepped out into the road in front of you. You don’t know why I did it. I was thinking of something else.’

  ‘It is a bad day. You don’t know just how bad a day it is. But there you go. You appeared in front of me and I see the opportunity to get some of the aggression of my bad day, out of my system.’

  ‘It’s more than that!’

  ‘What do you mean by that?’

  ‘Come on man. I walked out in front of you and now you are going to kill me. It is a bit of an extreme reaction.’

  ‘You don’t know just how bad today is.’

  ‘Tell me then. Maybe I can make it into a better day.’

  ‘Unless you can make my wife and kid come back alive again, you haven’t got a chance. Oh and did I mention the 50 grand I need, to get the others off my back. So you see; I don’t care if it is a bit extreme, because they are going to find me and put me away, unless I shoot myself first.’

  ‘I can’t do anything about the first thing, but I can do the money.’ Ricardo decides to put a little panic into his voice. He isn’t feeling panicky in the slightest. He just thinks it will serve his purpose best if he does.

  The guy’s eyes light up a little, but not a lot.

  ‘It’s in a bag, in the robe over there.’ He points to the robe across the room.

  The guy’s eyes flick over to it, but snap back onto Ricardo. Ricardo starts eating his food again. He lowers his head a fraction, but he can still see the guy.

  ‘Where did you get the cash from and how much is there?’

  ‘It’s a long story that I’m not going to tell. I don’t know exactly how much cash there is either, but it is more than you need. It could take you a long way from here.’ He returns to his food as soon as he has stopped talking.

  ‘Show me!’

  ‘I’m not giving it to you. If you want it, you have to get it.’

  ‘I can shoot you and get it anyway.’

  ‘That’s exactly why I am eating this. I don’t need to hand it to you. I didn’t need to tell you about it, but I did. If you want it, you will have to get it yourself.’

  The guy looks at Ricardo, but he has returned to continue eating his food. The money has him hooked. It won’t solve the issue about his wife and kid. It could solve the issue about the money he owes, to some not very nice people. But he is thinking there is more than that in the robe. There is the chance to get away and start afresh. They will always be looking for him, but it is a better prospect than being caught. Even if he pays the money he owes, they will always be after him, for killing his wife. He keeps an eye on Ricardo, as he walks over to the robe. He opens the door and sure enough, there is a bag on the floor in there. Rather than pull it out to open it, he makes the decision to open the bag, while it is still in the robe. His head goes down, as he bends down to open it. Ricardo is watching his every move. He has to get this right.

  The guy goes out of sight. He is bending down to open the bag. Ricardo knows there is money in the bag, but there is nothing like the sum of money he has suggested might be in there. He can’t believe the guy is making this so easy for him, to get out of this situation. The second his head is out of sight, Ricardo turns swiftly and pulls open the drawer. He hopes it will open smoothly. He didn’t take any notice of that when he put his weapon in there, but now it will make a difference, if the runner is smooth. It is not too bad. The drawer opens and his hand is in there, grabbing the pistol. He has it up, out and aimed, as he also gets to his feet and moves over slightly. He doesn’t want to be in the same place, when the guy comes out again, knowing there isn’t enough cash.

  The guy hears him move and turns round, as he stands upright again. The gun is not aimed at Ricardo. It has dropped while he was looking at the bag. He starts to bring it up, as he realizes a couple of things. Ricardo is no longer sitting on the bed and he also has a gun in his hand. Ricardo only holds back, as long as it takes him to see the guy is going to use his gun. He shoots before that can happen and he shoots to kill. He has probably done the guy a favor doing this, even if he doesn’t see it that way. The guy drops to the floor. The gun drops from his hand on the way down. It isn’t far enough away from him to be safe. Ricardo doesn’t take any chances that the guy might still be alive. He shoots him again in the head, just to make sure.

  The sound of the gunfire is heard in the rooms close by. They report it to the desk and they in turn report that to the police. Ricardo doesn’t give it too much thought, until he hears the sirens approach the hotel and come to a stop outside. He looks out of the window, to see several police cars skid to a stop outside. He needs to get out of the room. He doesn’t waste any time grabbing his stuff. He just grabs his jacket and stuffs it full of ammunition. He is out of the door and making for the stairs. He doesn’t run down, but goes up three floors instead. He then presses the button for the lift. The lift takes him down to the reception. The doors open and he walks calmly out, to be faced with two policemen aiming guns at him. He fires instantly, downing the two policemen. There are more police outside, so he can’t go there. He makes for the reception counter and dives behind there and into the back office. There are three people in there. They are huddled in a corner and look at him with scared eyes.

  ‘Is there another way out?’

  There is no answer, but one of them manages to shake their head.

  ‘Shit’ is all he manages to say.

  Vee picks up on the communication. She has already picked up on something earlier and they are already in the right direction. As soon as she gets the latest communication, she knows they have found him. They arrive outside the hotel and tap into the local police wavelength, to see what the score is. Ricardo is in the reception office, with three hostages. He has already killed a man in his room and two policemen in the foyer. They have tried to talk to him, but he hasn’t picked up the telephone yet.

  Ricardo knows he can’t just stay there. He needs to try to get out. That isn’t going to be easy, if it is possible at all. He is going to try though. He grabs hold of one of the receptionists. He holds her tightly in front of him and moves towards the door. He opens the door and steps forward. The foyer is empty. There are police outside, but none in here. There is no cover for them, is the main reason. They use a loudhailer, to tell him to give up. He doesn’t reply. He sidles over to the lift and presses the button. The door opens and he goes in backwards, taking the girl with him. He presses the button to go down to the garage. In a few seconds they are there. The door opens and this time there are police out there.

  ‘Back off, or I will shoot her.’

  They don’t back off, as they would have to cross open space. They don’t trust he won’t shoot them.

  Ricardo guesses that, so he moves towards his car. It isn’t easy, as it will leave him exposed. He just hopes they won’t shoot, in case they shoot the girl. They get to his car and he makes the girl get in the driver’s seat. He pushes her over, from the passenger door they get in. The police are watching him. She starts the car and drives it up the ramp. At the top she comes to a stop. She has to, because the road is blocked beyond that.

  Ricardo opens the window and keeping as low as he can so they don’t get a shot at him, he shouts thru the window to the police.

  ‘Let us thru, or the girl gets a bullet.’

  The decision has already been taken, to let them do this. His car has been tagged, the second they found the dead man in his room. There is just a chance the girl will be released unharmed. The cars in the block are moved. The drivers were in them already.

  Ricardo pulls the girl over him and slides over into the driving seat. Ricardo’s car screeches thru the gap and he is off. He hasn’t a clue where he is going, but he has a chance now. There is a helicopter above him and a tail of police cars. The girl
is screaming in the passenger seat. He has to get her to stop. She is either going to have to go, or get shot. He doesn’t want to get rid of her though as a passenger, until he is on the open road.

  Ten minutes he puts up with the noise, before he is on the highway. He stops and tells her to get lost. She opens the door and scrambles out quickly. She doesn’t get a chance to shut the door before he is off again.

  He drives as fast as he can. He has the windows down and he can hear the helicopter overhead. In his mirrors, he can see a tail of police cars. In front of him, initially the road had been empty, but now he can see some more traffic. He smiles, as he knows this increases his chances of escape. In the distance the traffic is even heavier, which is good, but then it isn’t. He decides it is better to be in it, than sitting out here alone. His eyes go back to the police cars behind. As he does so, he thinks he sees a flash of light, but he can’t be sure.

  Bar has him firmly in his sights. Now Ricardo is on the open road, there is a chance to nail him. As soon as he drops the girl off, Vee and Bar know they have a chance to kill him, without anyone else getting hurt. They need to do that before he reaches the traffic, on the road ahead of him. Bar puts them in position, directly over the top of Ricardo. He then takes them down the windshield and turns to face Ricardo. Ricardo gets the fright of his life, when he sees the small craft appear in front of him. He grabs for his gun, but by the time he has it ready, the little craft has gone. It has gone forwards, down the bonnet and in front of the radiator grill. Vee fires thru the grill and soon the engine dies. Even before the car comes to a stop, Bar has flown them up and thru the driver’s window. Vee wastes no time delivering the final shot of Ricardo’s life. The car drifts the last few yards to a halt, with Ricardo dead at the wheel.

  Before the police cars get there, Bar has them back out of the car and up into the sky. Some will have seen the flash as they went. The pilot of the helicopter definitely does, but can’t describe what he has seen. Only in the investigation afterwards, with reports from other places, do they decide that it was some outside influence that had helped them overcome the uprisings around the world.

  Vee and Bar make several circuits of the world, to make sure that everything is now back under control. Only when they have done this, do they return to the place they arrived at. They have been given a task to do, while the rest of the universe is being returned to balance.

  Chapter 50 The Watcher

  They lift off from Malis 2 and move well out of orbit, before they have a discussion as to where will be their next destination. There are so many possibilities for them to choose from. They could go to any of the planets that Grillech, Valpar and Posdon have been to and taken control over. They are in a position to do these planets, but only one by one. However helpful Elkante, Draton and The Wise Soul have been and how influential they have been too, they only have limited power they can use. Of the ones with them, only George and The Watcher have the power that is needed, to restore things. Also, it is too soon to think of separating, to achieve the goals they have ahead of them. There is also the small matter of there only being one craft. This craft can move anywhere and everywhere in such a short space of time. There is only one craft like this. O has done that for a reason.

  They discuss these things and after a great deal of talking, the obvious place surfaces for them to go back to. In many senses it is the place where it all began; Parlantte. It is the place where The Watcher took The Keeper, with the three groups, and then managed to escape across the universe, before Algreb could work out where he had taken them. The Watcher is just setting the controls, when George comes up to him.

  ‘I think it might be a mistake to go back to Parlantte. If you remember how they tried to keep us there. It was only because we tricked them, that they allowed us to leave. I know we have discussed the reasons why we should go back there, but I have this feeling, that to do so is not only unnecessary at this stage, but also it will be a big mistake.’

  ‘I too have some concerns now that you say that, George. They knew far more than we were aware that they did. There have been influences on them. They made them more powerful than they had a right to be.’

  ‘I think that we should leave them be. I have a feeling that if we go there, then we will not be able to restore The Balance. They will feel that they are the ones who can do that. I also have this thought that has just come to me. Some of what they have been able to do will be taken away from them by O. I don’t know that for sure, but I think that they will return to their original purpose and that was part of the experiment. They have learnt how to work together for the common good. I just think we should leave them be and concentrate on where it all really began; Velchitta.’

  ‘Of course, you are right. It also makes sense too. That is where Bluechen and Marlitta are from. That is where Draton, Elkante and The Wise Soul are from. That is where you are from too! That is where it all began and that is where we need to go back to, to restore The Balance.’

  ‘But you are not from there, George, and neither is Cassie.’

  ‘That is true, but we would not be here at all, if you hadn’t left Velchitta. Velchitta is where it all began. We have to go back there, to take things back to where they should be.’

  ‘You are right. Even though you are not from there, you are in a way.’

  They call the others to them and explain what they have been talking about. Bluechen and Marlitta are quite keen to go there. The other three are less so. It will mean that the end of this journey is in sight, is how they feel. They have enjoyed being part of the team that has travelled across the universe, to help The Keeper and The Watcher. In many ways they don’t want this to come to an end. George tries to reassure them that it won’t be the end. He has something that he wants to do for them, if it all works out. Cassie is finding out more about her boyfriend than she ever thought she would. There has always been something about him, but now she is seeing a new George. She sees a George she loves even more than the George she knew before.

  So it is; they make their destination the planet Velchitta. In real terms they are there almost before they know it. In some senses it is almost too soon, as they don’t have much time to do any planning. In other ways, that may be a good thing, as they don’t know what they need to plan for. When they were here last, Valca was trying to bring order back to the planet. Who knows what may have transpired in the intervening timespan.

  They are contacted as they approach Velchitta. They are asked who is aboard. The Watcher gives them the list, as he did the last time. They are given permission to land. The person who is talking to them has not said what their name is, nor have they indicated who might be in charge of things on the planet.

  The Watcher is more prepared this time. He is definitely more prepared than when they visited Parlantte. That situation isn’t going to be allowed to happen again. The Watcher is the one who is going to leave the craft when they land. George is going to take the others back into orbit, as soon as they have dropped The Watcher off.

  George pilots the craft down to the launch pad. As The Watcher leaves, he tries to take off again and can feel that he is being prevented from being able to do so. That might have worked on their old craft. It might have worked on every other craft in the universe. But it is not going to work on this craft. This is the new craft that O has designed and had constructed. It is like no other craft in the universe. It is powered by the latest Air Micro Compounder engines. They can never ever run out of fuel. It only takes one molecule to be there for it to be able to regenerate its power. That one molecule is guaranteed to be there. In fact they have had to engineer ways to restrict the Air Micro Compounder molecules, to be able to use them.

  George closes his eyes and allows his mind to take control of their craft. They lift away easily, leaving The Watcher at the edge of the launch pad.

  The Watcher is a tall man. He always wears a long black coat, which he wears unbuttoned, come rain or shine. On his head he wears a wi
de brimmed hat, pulled forward so it is really difficult to see his face. This man is The Watcher. The Watcher is really an android, a Mark 2. He never lets anyone get close to him, unless he wants them to. His purpose is to watch and protect the Keeper and now George too.

  The Watcher sees his spacecraft leave. He turns and walks towards the door. He is hoping that when the door opens, it will reveal the friendly face of Valca, or maybe one or other of his generals; Neca & Balci. The door opens, but it not any of these men who come through the door. It is someone that The Watcher knows, but he has never had any contact with him before.

  ‘Where is Valca?’ The Watcher asks.

  ‘He is in custody, along with his generals and any of his men who did not want to follow the new leadership.’

  ‘And who is the new leadership?’

  ‘I am. Hand over your weapon?’ The man has brought ten guards with him. They all point their weapons at The Watcher.

  The Watcher ignores the request, or is it an order?

  ‘What is your name?’

  ‘I said for you to hand over your weapon!’ the man repeats, with more aggression this time. The guards take a small step forward and push their weapons in front of them, also with aggression.

  ‘I am The Watcher. But you know that already. I am not quite the same as the last time I was here. I have been updated. I know more than I knew then. I certainly know more than when I allowed The Keeper to be taken from me. That is being dealt with as we speak. This planet, the planet Velchitta, was chosen specifically to be the place where The Keeper lived. Some things were not quite right and I had to take The Keeper away. I have now returned to make things right again; the way they should be on Velchitta.’